World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Book Review: World War Z
Summary: 1 Stars
Be forewarned, this is not a horror novel. It is a treatise on the author's personal politics with zombies representing the latest enemy of the U.S. If you are looking for a zombie novel, read Monster Island, Monster Nation, Cell, Species or Crawlers. If you are looking for a satire of politics, read this.Book Review: Could have been better
Summary: 3 Stars
First of all, if the reader is a gorehound, this isn't the book for you. There are no gruesome descriptions of Zombies killing people, or of people killing zombies. This isn't really a novel in the classic sense where one follows certain characters from the beginning to the end; it's more a series of snapshots of what happened during this zombie crisis. As a zombie novel, it's better (way better) than Monster Island, which was a mish-mosh of ideas, with an ending ripped off from Dead Alive (Peter Jackons zombie opus) but it's isn't quite as good as Phillip Nutman's Wetwork. The author takes on a lot, but he makes a few mistakes, one of them being that the zombies in this eat everything. I found that unbelieavable. A piece like that gives me little or no hope that humanity would survive. Another bit I found silly was the Ghouls walking around under water, ala Fulci's Zombie. Zombies rot, so you know, the fish should be ripping them apart, having a meal. I also would have liked to know; how did the zombie plauge start and was it over at the end of the book, or close to being cured? I got left hanging a little too much. The main failing is that there are no characters to connect with, no one to really care about while one reads the book. There are a lot of good ideas, but overall this isn't a book that will find a permanent place on my bookshelf. It's more a read of curiosity than something I'd go back to. Still, with Brooks connections, I wonder when this will be optioned as a movie...Book Review: A great "what-if" zombies took over the world scenario.
Summary: 5 Stars
This book truly does an amazing job going down the what-if zombies took over the world scenario. It doesn't read like your typical work of fiction, but is arranged as a series of interviews with some of the protaganists or antagonists who have survived (or even prospered) when a deadly epidemic sweeps the world turning most of the population into the living dead who feed off the living. The main reason why this book works so well is that like most good horror novels it is so firmly grounded in reality that you truly believe that something so horrific could actually happen or is happening. In fact the reality here is played-off so effectively against current events and references (direct or indirect) to present day political reality that you have to remind yourself somewhat regretfully that it is a work of fiction after all. Brooks' use of footnotes peppered liberally to explain some fictional militaristic jargon or colloqualism is highly effectual in creating the journalistic ambience of the novel. The description of zombie warfare and the explanations for why it is so hard to fight them even with all the modern strategy and technology at hand is evidence that Brooks has thought and played the scenarios out carefully and logically. And logic is really the key here, what-if scenarios often breakdown when the logic is exhausted but here it is maintained with a straight face right through to the end. George Romero revealed a little of this hyper-reality juxtaposed against zombies in those news footages he interspersed in his "dead" series but I think Brooks has really taken that to a whole new level. There are a few "interviews" which feel a little contrived, especially the Japanese experiences which seem right out of some bad samurai flick. But the scope of the book is quite international and not so ethnocentric which makes it all the more impressive. The only question I would have for him is: What happened in North Korea? Book Review: Cool concept
Summary: 4 Stars
Looking to read something off the beaten path completely different? Max Brooks science-fiction novel presents itself as a chronicle of the battle for humanity between humans and their undead foes. Writing in the guise of firsthand accounts of survivors and veterans of the war, Brooks tracks his story from the first Zombie rising in China, through the harrowing "Battle of Yonkers" and then finally to humanity's last stand to recapture their world from the lurching, moaning undead. Some ripe political satire and a few obligatory gross-out scenes keeps the pace moving briskly, as Brooks cloaks his prose as true fact, at times emulating non-fiction books like The Greatest Generation." At times this one-trick-pony does go off the rails a little bit, but the author should be congratulated for taking a novel concept and making it work. If you like "outsider" fiction, this is for you. Book Review: Dawn of the Dead meets Studs Turkell
Summary: 5 Stars
The Zombie Survival Guide: a straight-faced book about a whimsical subject. Then Max Brooks decided to take the world that George Romero put on film, and write about it in the way that Studs Terkel took on the Working world. The result is a truly surprising novel that subtly grabs you, then before you know it has you in a vice grip, and won't let you go. Brooks tells little stories of the global pandemic that come together to paint a plauseable oral history of political arrogance, social collapse, individual frustration, horror and bravery. After several of the "interviews" I found myself pausing, letting the characters' words and emotions sink in. Sounds silly, and noone was more surprised than I. If you are a fan on the films of Romero, or find yourself wondering exactly what went on in the 28 Days before Jim woke up from his coma, read this book. You won't be disapointed.